Online activities create an atmosphere of presence. The spectators get into the house, which under other circumstances would never have been. Ilya sat on the background of bookshelves, sometimes smoked (some of the prohibitions of the circumstances of place and time are now removed). Library behind him consists of somewhere lying and half-forgotten books and grandparents who brought to light a couple of weeks ago, when Elijah came from Kyiv, where he works on the project “Babi Yar” in Moscow. In these difficult days he wanted to be closer to their parents. Now Hrzhanovsky reads mostly literature related to the project “Babi Yar”, “Black book” Vasily Grossman and Ilya Ehrenburg. The talk format was set to bold: standing on the mausoleum and speak in front of all the Soviet people.
We live in a dangerous and unexpected time when it is unclear what will happen to the world and cinema. That night, while we listened to Elijah and asked him questions, it was reported that one of the cinema chains in Russia (and then another), in order not to die and to support employees, has launched a food delivery. Ilya Hrzhanovsky too pleased “inmates” soon you will see DAU in the Network. Almost two years on the Directorate of the Moscow international film festival tried unsuccessfully to solve the problem of its display in Russia on the big screen. Now pandemic has placed all in places.
the World premiere of the 700-hour and made a noise art project about the Soviet physics and the Nobel prize winner Lev Landau (Dau, as it was called), whose role was played by Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis, took place more than a year ago in Paris. And in February at the Berlin film festival presented two films of 16. With them and begin the show. These are two of four paintings, which the Ministry of culture of the Russian Federation refused to issue a distribution certificate – “DAU. Natasha” and “DAU. Degeneration”. Then it will show all movies and TV series, 700 hours of footage that will travel, as it was in Paris. But if there we were watching the working material, then now viewers will see it in its completed form.
Because the action takes place in a confined space on-site secret of the Institute, specially built at the Kharkiv stadium, all this will be close to the viewer as never before. “Now we are in conditions of freedom, trapped in their homes. The world sat under house arrest,” said Hrzhanovsky. In such circumstances, be saved? His prescription is to live a full rich life in joy to give something to others, not to take in a tasting of depression. To be in the funnel darkest feelings from the world easily. Ilya quoted a theater Director Anatoly Vasilyev, who played the role of Director of the Institute of the secret of the Grain (in reality – Kapitza) about how hard it is to be in joy, when around the mountain.
While critics of the first audience talked all year about the fatal violence in this project, coming from Director, he created “a story about happiness.” “I was interested in the possibility of a person to be happy” – said Ilya. He was able to remove the DAU or to film “garden of Eden” by Hemingway, the characters who got married and went on a journey through the South of France, but their happiness ended in hell. Was Dau a happy person? Judging by the film – probably not. According to Khrzhanovsky, Yes. But he went further in trying to understand what to do if you have everything? This is what interested the author at the start of the project, as well as the phenomenon of the Soviet man. Now he talks about how not did this type as a class. Ilya himself to consider it. And not only themselves. He spoke about the inner circle: “My son is 21 and he is a Soviet man. My daughter is five years. She was born in London, but also the Soviet people, because I’m her mom – the Soviet people”. All together we forgot about the disaster as an everyday reality, although in a world of horrific events taking place. But our sufferings are not comparable to those endured by the older generation. No wonder Ilya brought in example grandparents who lived in a state of everyday disaster. War, famine, terror…it was time.
as for accusations of despotism emanating primarily from feminists, including Russian (they wrote a complaint to the Directorate Berlinale), as well as that Hrzhanovsky imagined himself to be God for them, he calmly replied, “I am not the Creator of the worlds. I am the Creator of the artistic space. We all know that will die, will disappear forever, but can do a lot. I don’t think that removing the about the disaster, you bring. You predict”.
Working on the project “Babi Yar” Hrzhanovsky realized that people are not willing to talk about the crash. They chase her away. “As a filmmaker you know that there is no good positive without a good negative cannot be. Meaningful is difficult to live. We lived for some time in unbridled joy, but to call it joy impossible. Joy is an internal state. I like the time that happened in the world. This is the actualization of the ancient and eternal meanings. We issued the gift” – boldly declared it. And then finished off completely, although such thoughts came, probably, in everyone’s mind is: “Man, as such, is given a hell of a gift of a pandemic. Modernity gave us the opportunity to see for yourself. Pushkin never seen.” Indeed, we sit in front of a computer screen, go online, and we (those interested) endlessly broadcast. Physical bodies – smokers, speaking, recorded, and then reproduced becomes the infinite self of each of us. The spiritual journey is only beginning. According to Khrzhanovsky, one begins to understand who he is, and it can become a disaster for him. So we came to a new type of communication. The closeness of the space has created a new level of freedom, actualizarea important meanings.
15-year-old work on DAU gave Chrzanowska, he believes, the right to engage in the project “Babi Yar”. During this time a lot happened to him: he became more loving people, purestal to judge them, became softer. Something happened with the soul, and it’s a different understanding of the world. Gone are the people with whom he worked. Did not live up to the Paris premiere of Vladimir Azhippo, who played the representative of the Committee of state security, leaning the barmaid Natasha to cooperate. Berlin of impressions died lived in London media artist and each Director Alexei Blinov. Became another member of – moms are the only professional actress of the project of Radmila Shchegoleva.
Working on a Babi Yar, Illya thought about those boys, as he put it, making the infernal things, shot people, and did not find the answer to some questions. Although he lived in Germany, good knowledge of German language and culture. “Babi Yar” in his understanding is a story about the Holocaust, but much more about people. Hrzhanovsky remembered the laws of the ancient tragedy and the curse of the kind Kennedy. The father of the future U.S. President John F. Kennedy, as Ambassador, I did not miss the ships with the Jews, gave them no chance at salvation, and the clan is under a curse. Another tragedy, as we know, happened in April.
Around the project “Babi Yar” is an ongoing controversy. Hard is the position of the Ukrainian Institute of national memory. Kyiv press reports that the project is funded by Russian oligarchs, though not only by them. But Khrzhanovsky Ukraine – the place with which it is associated. His mother was born in Vinnitsa, where her father was sent to Tashkent when the war began. “If not for the tragedy of the Holocaust, I would not have been born,” says Hrzhanovsky. Under the winery, he spent a lot of time, although he was born and raised in Moscow, which has long been not live. Offer to take on “Babi Yar” – the kind that it is impossible to refuse. Its task Ilya Hrzhanovsky sees not to erect a monument that will forget. It is important to create a place where people could feel the circumstances of life. “The place is cursed, and the curse should be removed. This is my task. Babi Yar – global catastrophesand. This is a crystal that reflects the many events that happened in the world,” he said. See what happens. In any case you will have to answer not for the artistic success or failure, as with DAU, but for completely different scale meanings.
